109 Santa Monica Blvd.Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 458-2012www.barpintxo.com
twitter.com/BarPintxo
Parking: Nearby SaMo lots, metered street parking
Daily – 4-6:30pm, Wednesday-Saturday – 10pm – Midnight
Drinks: $4 glasses of Sangria and their red & white wine, $1.50 for their half-pint of Stella, $6 for Fino Sherry
Food: 6 Pintxos (see below :) for $6, $6 select tapas items
The final stop on AP’s & JB’s Monday - Santa Monica - Happy Hour Tour was Bar Pintxo (pronounced Pincho), which sat just across the street from our 2nd stop, Pourtal, and near several other Happy Hours that we wish we had time to check out, BOA and Ye Olde King’s Head. We decided on Bar Pintxo cos it just looked kind of cute – it’s this little Spanish tapas restaurant that’s set up like a sushi place with the chefs in the middle and the food ingredients and menu items decorating the counter (including a ham-hock!). There’s a nice patio and seating around the chef station as well as more group oriented seating behind that.
The final stop on AP’s & JB’s Monday - Santa Monica - Happy Hour Tour was Bar Pintxo (pronounced Pincho), which sat just across the street from our 2nd stop, Pourtal, and near several other Happy Hours that we wish we had time to check out, BOA and Ye Olde King’s Head. We decided on Bar Pintxo cos it just looked kind of cute – it’s this little Spanish tapas restaurant that’s set up like a sushi place with the chefs in the middle and the food ingredients and menu items decorating the counter (including a ham-hock!). There’s a nice patio and seating around the chef station as well as more group oriented seating behind that.
Truth-telling, after Pintxo, I had to get AP to LAX and then drive back to Hollywood Hills West, so I didn’t want to chance having another liquor drink. So, while AP enjoyed a couple $4 glasses of the delightful white Sangria, I had a couple diet cokes (cans, not fountain soda, fyi).
And it was the food we were really excited about anyhow – though we wish we’d left a little more room in our stomachs after having tried shrimp & fries at the Huntley’s Penthouse and nuts & hummus at Pourtal. It didn’t really matter though as we still ordered their namesake pintxos – delicious little food items served on top of mini-bread slices, kinda like bruschetta to us Americano rubes. During Happy Hour, you get your choice of 6 pintxo’s for $6. AP & I very much enjoyed a round topped with Fresh Tomato & Garlic, the Crimini Mushroom with Mushroom Mousse and Manchego Cheese, and the Huevos Rellenos con Vinegreta Vasca (eggs w/ peppers & something else?). I also spied an outside table’s delicious selection and ordered the same Patatas Bravas (crispy potatoes w/ spicy tomato sauce, aioli and chives) and my nosiness paid off – the potatoes were so good – slightly crispy with this nice tinge of spicy tomato. Bravo Bravas!
And it was the food we were really excited about anyhow – though we wish we’d left a little more room in our stomachs after having tried shrimp & fries at the Huntley’s Penthouse and nuts & hummus at Pourtal. It didn’t really matter though as we still ordered their namesake pintxos – delicious little food items served on top of mini-bread slices, kinda like bruschetta to us Americano rubes. During Happy Hour, you get your choice of 6 pintxo’s for $6. AP & I very much enjoyed a round topped with Fresh Tomato & Garlic, the Crimini Mushroom with Mushroom Mousse and Manchego Cheese, and the Huevos Rellenos con Vinegreta Vasca (eggs w/ peppers & something else?). I also spied an outside table’s delicious selection and ordered the same Patatas Bravas (crispy potatoes w/ spicy tomato sauce, aioli and chives) and my nosiness paid off – the potatoes were so good – slightly crispy with this nice tinge of spicy tomato. Bravo Bravas!
I love this kind of Happy Hour, somewhere you can make a real meal out of the food options – definitely somewhere to take a date when you want to show off, but not spend much! And it’s just as good for friends or if you’re flying solo, just like the scene at Pourtal. The waitresses were all totally friendly as were the chefs behind the counter.
All in all, a terrific little Happy Hour to be enjoyed in conjunction with an ocean-front Santa Monica Blvd. Happy Hour Tour or on its own!
--JB
Rating: 5 Martinis
All in all, a terrific little Happy Hour to be enjoyed in conjunction with an ocean-front Santa Monica Blvd. Happy Hour Tour or on its own!
--JB
Rating: 5 Martinis
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